Who ARE These Guys? (Quick and Dirty 2013 Spring Training Guide)

[FONT=arial]In less than a week, the Twins will officially open Spring Training camp. As of now, 66 players are expected to be there: 34 pitchers, 9 catchers (a lot of catchers needed for a lot of pitchers), 13 infielders, and 10 outfielders. There are a lot of bodies (I imagine the locker room might be a tad crowded), but there are also a lot of holes from 2012 to be filled. By the end of it, there will be 25 men ready to head north and face the Tigers on April 1.

Now, if you're as tired as I am of this miserable winter, you're really looking forward to listening to the Spring Training games once they start on February 23 (you may be especially excited if you're in the Twin Cities area because now that the radio broadcasts will be on FM you can finally get radio reception at work). So I've wrote up this handy-dandy list of all the names you'll hear.[/FONT][PRBREAK][/PRBREAK][FONT=arial]Originally posted at k-bro's baseball blog[/FONT][FONT=arial]

40-Man Roster:

These are the guys most likely to land on the big league club. And those who don't will likely be next in line in case of injury or ineffectiveness. A few guys are on the 40-man simply because the front office wants to protect their future with the team -- removing them from the 40-man roster would expose them to waivers.

Guys We Know and Love (Maybe)

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[FONT=arial]Alex Burnett. RHP. Age 25. 2012: 67 games for the Twins.[/FONT]

[FONT=arial]Jared Burton. RHP. Age 31. 2012: 64 games for the Twins.[/FONT]

[FONT=arial]Drew Butera. C. Age 29. 2012: Red Wings and 42 games for the Twins.[/FONT]

[FONT=arial]Jamey Carroll. IF. Age 38. 2012: 138 games for the Twins.[/FONT]

[FONT=arial]Josh Roenicke. RHP. Age 30. 2012: 63 games for the Rockies. Claimed off waivers from the Rockies.[/FONT]

[FONT=arial]Tim Wood. RHP. Age 30. 2012: AAA or Pirates system. Signed as a minor-league free agent.[/FONT]

[FONT=arial]Non-Roster Invitees:

While it's more likely that 40-man guys will break camp with the big-league club, these guys have earned the right to try to impress the decision-makers. A quick paperwork effort would make any of these guys a Twin. I predict one or two of these guys will impress enough to make it -- Jared Burton did it last year.

Guys We Know and Love (Maybe)

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[FONT=arial]Nick Blackburn. RHP. Age 30. 2012: Red Wings and Twins. Will miss time due to wrist surgery.[/FONT]

[/FONT][FONT=arial]Guys We Know If We Didn't Stop Paying Attention Last Season